Agri-Pulse Newsmakers

The planting season is catching up to its average pace after weather challenges held some producers back for weeks. But growers in some regions are still facing challenges, and lawmakers representing them in Washington are pressing for relief. North Dakota Republican John Hoeven is one of those lawmakers and joins Newsmakers to discuss his request and the upcoming farm bill.

Then, American Soybean Association economist Scott Gerlt and Mary Kay Thatcher with Syngenta join a panel discussion to discuss the current planting efforts and their long-term implications on production and policy. 

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Rising food prices are having a big impact on the need for assistance from the nation’s most vulnerable consumers, which is leading to swelling demand at the nation’s food banks. Feeding America’s Vince Hall joins Newsmakers to discuss the current situation and look ahead to what he hopes is learned at an upcoming White House conference and the action’s he’s hoping to see in the upcoming farm bill.

There’s also domestic hunger analysis from Brandon Lipps of Caprock Strategies and Andrew Cheyne with the Food Research & Action Center and a look at the food security issues due to the war in Ukraine from Kip Tom.

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The Department of Agriculture rolled out a $6 billion program aimed at helping producers who suffered disasters in 2020 and 2021. USDA’s Gloria Montaño Greene joins the program to discuss what producers should know about how they might receive assistance and takes a look at the broader risk management portfolio under the federal government’s umbrella.

Then, Tom Sell with Combest, Sell & Associates and Tara Smith with Michael Torrey Associates discuss the implications of disasters on the crop insurance program, the prospects of permanent disaster relief legislation and their concerns about actuarial soundness.

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New figures this week showed inflation is still impacting American consumers, but some slight moderation was also observed. There was also news on interest in the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program, leading to questions about the ability for the program to satisfy the existing demand with its present resources. 

This week's video also features thoughts on immigration and the future of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act from Chuck Conner with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Allison Crittenden with the American Farm Bureau Federation, Dave Gagner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Cal Poly’s Ricky Volpe. 

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The Biden administration is approaching a key deadline to publish annual volume targets for biofuel blending. There’s also the ongoing effort to redefine the definition of a Water of the U.S. and looming concerns about the loss of crop protection tools through the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval processes. 

EPA Administrator Michael Regan joins Newsmakers to discuss the work the agency is doing on the long list of food and ag policy concerns at the agency. There’s also thoughts from industry leaders like Chris Bliley at Growth Energy, Michael Formica at the National Pork Producers Council, and Richard Gupton at the Agricultural Retailers Association about what the EPA is doing – as well as what they’d like the agency to do instead. 

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